It's all about those sounds, the reviews have told us. That's how you make a Star Wars thing truly authentic; get the sounds right.

First you need to get that authentic Star Wars theme song. You know: the one that starts with a hypnotic drum beat, and a quavering, high-pitched vocalist singing the words: "It's time to go to Star Wars!/La-di-dah-di-dah/Boc!".

Then you have to make sure you've got all the other noises right: the weird popping sound Han Solo's knees make, the constant thrum that comes from within Princess Leia's head, and the soft metallic cough which the space robot R2-D2 emits whenever he sees some sild.

Shame, then, that Star Wars Battlefront hired someone who'd never even heard of, let alone seen, Star Wars to voice its version of Darth Vader... "You do not know something something about The Dark Side" he says, like his balls are about to drop...

NO LIE THISHere's something that isn't a lie: it's possible that Star Wars Battlefront is the best looking game of this generation.

Certainly, it's in the top three. If you want a game that looks authentically Star Wars-y, this is your bag: from whipping through Endor on speeder bikes, soaring over Beggar's Canyon in an X-Wing, or defending Echo Base from Imperial Walkers... it does feel quite spectacularly spectacular.

And here's another thing that isn't a lie: I'm one of the worst people on earth when it comes to playing games online. I'm honestly, embarrassingly, terrible, the only consolation is that I'm not quite as terrible as my friend Anthony, who is so terrible that he has become too ashamed to play video games these days.

BEING RUBBISHBeing rubbish is a big part of why my heart sank when I realised there wouldn't be a significant single-player component to Battlefront.

​However... as resistant as I was to a Star Wars game without a campaign, if you ignore that it's Star Wars, this is the go-to online shooter for idiots like me.

It doesn't feel overwhelming, the speed of everything, the fact you don't have to reload your weapons, all of it conspires to make an online shooter that is - dare I honk it - accessible. Some have criticised the game for this, because things that are popular and inclusive aren't cool apparently... but it's the very antithesis of why Destiny drove me out of town.

Hell, in every game of Battlefront I've played thus far I've not been bottom of the leaderboard. That would never happen in Halo 5, or CODBLOPS 3. And I don't even know why I seem to get along better with Battlefront.

Hey - maybe The Force is just with me!!!!!!!! LOOLOLROFLMAOLOLOLOL!!!!! LOLOLOLOLOOLOLO11110011011111!!!!!

So who is bottom of the leaderboard every time? Probably Anthony.

BORE MYSELFI'm not going to bore myself by listing all the game modes on Battlefront. There are other reviewers out there who are paid good money to do that.

Suffice to say, however, if there's something you enjoyed from the original Star Wars trilogy, and it happened within the atmosphere of a planet, you'll find it here, in a variety of massive 20 vs 20 matches, or more small scale skirmishes.

Every weapon, turret-y thing, and vehicle you might want to take into combat against the Empire or Rebellion, is at your disposal. Heck, you can even get to play as Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker, Chutney Jim and Trebor.

STOP BEING SO UNCHARACTERISTICALLY UPBEATAnd it's here where I stop being so uncharacteristically upbeat. There are four environments in Battlefront, with three maps each (and another couple of maps due for free next month).

There's no bona-fide single player mode - barring some half-arsed AI modes - and the maps are already starting to get a bit boring. I've no idea whether this was by accident or design, but if you really love what's on offer here, you're going to be biting off EA's hand to purchase the next few sets of DLC.

​You know: on top of the fifty-odd quid you've already shelled out.

​And that's what's wrong with Battlefront; there simply isn't enough game here, as beautifully authentic and playable as it is, to justify that price tag. The fact they're asking for more money almost from the off is an insult.

CODBLOPS 3 might've been a weird old mishmash of stuff, but the amount of content it gives you for free - including a proper single-player campaign - puts Battlefront to shame. In an era where games seem to be getting bigger and bigger, Battlefront takes things too far the other way.

SUMMARY: Gorgeous graphics, welcoming to the novice, authentically Star Wars-y... there's just not enough on offer.SCORE:6 LONG TIMES AGO OUT OF 10 LONG TIMES AGO.

I'd hoped this would be good, and as I got an Xbox One last week, I paid EA the £3.99 for a month's EA Access, and downloaded this. It's really underwhelming. I was going to buy it for PS4 on launch day, but I found I was getting really bored, even during matches. Nothing you do as a player seems to have any measurable consequence. It needs way more depth, the whole game just feels really empty.

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Mr Biffo

20/11/2015 12:57:30 pm

Yep. It's fun for a time, and then... blehh.

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joe le taxi

20/11/2015 01:05:16 pm

how long before blehh?

Nathaniel Woomspune

20/11/2015 01:06:47 pm

So, a gorgeous skin plastered over a flaccid experience, kind of an anti Buffalo Bill ("It rubs the Mandelorian yak-butter on it's skin or else it gets the Blas-Tech T-21 laser rifle in it's face again"). It may still be worth the purchase for the Chutney Jim power-up. Are there other playable characters that you haven't listed? I used to run around the playground pretending I was Jittery Keef or Ol' Satchel Arm, to be able to control them in real life 2D 3D would ruin my tiny mind. In a good way.

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Klone

20/11/2015 01:11:57 pm

Leia, Han and Scrotum face (Palpatine).

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Euphemia

20/11/2015 04:08:42 pm

Unless every single round starts with a big sign saying "DIRECTED BY HIDEO KOJIMA!" what lingers for about an hour then I'm not interested. Even if it has space camels and robots like Tweekie in it like the films had.

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Monkeymanbob

20/11/2015 07:16:30 pm

I may wait for Turkish Star Wars:Battlefront.
Won't be any good. But I'll be so ironically cool I'll melt teeth

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lickrim (gamer tag)

20/11/2015 11:53:02 pm

A classic Digi review from the old school, for the old school... Soo glad you are back... The puffa jackets are strong in this one

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fozzie

21/11/2015 12:30:23 am

The battlefront games have always been the same,fairly boring sticking a star wars skin over it wasnt going to change things massively,for me anyways,i have chortled like a lord all day long as my son who took the day off work to buy then play this only to be told by him after a couple its ok i suppose,then about 3 pm as he changed game to be told its a bit the same isnt it,what did he expect?

This whole £100 for a game crap has got on my tits for some time, no ones making us by dlc but I feel shafted good and proper...

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Dacanesta

22/11/2015 06:10:06 am

As someone who left games for a while and then came back coz I got a free PS4, I can say that I for one bloody love it and care little for its depth or whatever. Why? Coz im sick of bloody depth!!!! All the games I get I have to stick with them to the bitter end and buy things and customise things (I know, its done in BF, but its never a faff) and all I want is a pick-up-and-play-for -20-mins-before-eggy-time type game. Stick depth up your poo-pipe. I got my moneys worth on day 1 I did! And im even one of those that finishes bottom a lot!!!! Hooray for quick arcadey blasters I say!

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Keith

22/11/2015 09:42:10 pm

I agree, I actually bought it on the strength of this review: although the review didn't like it a lot, the things described seemed like a good fun palette cleanser after a year of mostly playing time sink games. Only problem is that the sheer lack of content is an issue, considering that it's all in existence but essentially hidden behind a paywall to make the game really over priced. I like it, but not unreservedly